Don CeSar, TradeWinds and others propose expansions and redevelopment projects

A new conference center, hotels, retailers and a grocer are proposed projects for the city of St. Pete Beach. 

City Manager Alex Rey recently presented a list to the city council on proposed and conceptual projects that would take shape.

The projects ranged from the redevelopment of a former Winn-Dixie site for a storage facility to new resorts. 

“In the last six years, we had a moratorium on adding density because we didn’t have enough sewer capacity,” Rey told the St. Pete Catalyst, noting how it was stifling growth. “We’ve been working on replacing the sewer lines, which should be completed by next year, and as a result, we lifted our moratorium for projects coming in the future years.” 

The moratorium was placed on any new hotel developments on Gulf Boulevard and those that would impact density. 

The city staff is engaging in private deals with developers to take full advantage of vacant or underutilized properties. 

With the moratorium lifted, here are some projects either in the pipeline or are in the conceptual phase: 

The TradeWinds resort in St. Pete Beach. GoogleMaps.

TradeWinds Island Grand Resorts’ expansion: TradeWinds has discussed a conceptual plan for the redevelopment of its 18-acre resort campus, including the newly-acquired Alden Suites, which includes a 1,700-foot beach walk. The roughly 3.5-acre addition to the campus could be redeveloped into another resort with at least 1,600 units and more than 140,000 square feet of shopping, dining and amenity space, according to city documents. The current resort has 756 lodging units. The city staff anticipates the resort to submit a master plan for the resort this fall. 

Don CeSar Resort’s new conference space:  The owners of the Don CeSar have been in discussion with city staff to develop a conference facility on the northern side of the resort site. Rey said the 10,000-square-foot conference center would be used for meetings and weddings. 

The site of the former Winn-Dixie. GoogleMaps.

Former Winn-Dixie site to be developed: The two-acre former Winn-Dixie site, located at 7625 Blind Pass Road, has been proposed for redevelopment into a self-storage facility with mixed-use commercial space. The city staff has been in contact with potential developers to redevelop the site. Rey explained that there is a significant demand for self-storage facilities in the area and that this would take advantage of a site where the parking is underutilized. 

A conceptual rendering of the mixed-use development proposed for the Corey Landing site. Photo by: Ram Realty Advisors

The Corey Landing project: This is a $90 million planned waterfront development concept from the South Florida-based real estate firm Ram Realty Advisors. The project, which the Catalyst previously reported on, entails constructing 243 Class-A residential units along with more than 10,000 square feet of retail space to the east end of Corey Avenue. Included: A potential 3,000-5,000-square-foot waterfront restaurant, a park that the group would partner with the city to create, a parking garage, and boat docks that would be split between residents of the residential tower and for public use.

Mixed-use project for 400-450 75th Ave. and 7454 Gulf Blvd: This site is a one acre, half-block that forms the southeastern intersection of 75th Ave. and Gulf Boulevard in the heart of downtown. Three development concepts have been proposed for the site. Development proposals include a coffee shop and/or retail store, and a grocer, according to city documents. Rey said the grocer would likely be a niche grocer with a smaller physical footprint such as Whole Foods or Trader Joe’s.  

Sea Hags Waterfront Bar and Grill: A concept has been presented to the city for a redevelopment of this property at the northern end of St. Pete Beach. The resort condominium project would be eligible for approximately 65 temporary lodging units and 21,000 square feet of amenity space, according to city documents. Rey explained that this would actually be a houseboat resort. 

More information and details are to come on these projects.